Craig Tucker's Overture
by NightingaleLost
Summary: A short, music-involved Creek romance as well as sequel to Tweek's Prelude, my payment for the contest I held a while back. Tierza, this is for you.


Hey! More Creek for you benefit, but mainly for **Tierza**, because I give this to her and all her awesomeness! Yes, her reward for her amazing search-and-find-talents in Tension. I DEDICATE THIS TO YOU, DEARIE!

It's kinda the sequel to Tweek's Prelude, so yeah, more for you. But this is for Tierza, so all I care about is that she likes it. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: I no ownies South Park**

* * *

The notes wove softly around him as he listened, eyes closed as he leaned back on his chair, long legs stretched out in front of him. The music continued, climbing higher and higher until they reached crescendo, and finally slowed, taking him on a tiny lilting dance before quavering onto that final note, holding it for almost eternity before fading into nothing.

The silent boy kept his eyes closed, reveling in those last notes, and soon a shaky voice was next to him. "...Craig? Are...a-are you awake?"

"Mhm."

"Oh. 'Cuz we still -_ngh-_ have s-s—"

"Shh."

"Okay."

Craig beckoned with one silent twitch of his fingers, and a warm, trembling body settled next to him. The raven curled one hand around his shoulders and they stayed like that for a couple of seconds, which was all he knew Tweek could take.

He opened his eyes, looking down at the blond, and the other looked up at him, waiting.

"That was beautiful."

Tweek beamed, even though Craig said it every time he heard him play. "R-really? You really think so?"

"Mhm."

The other looked down, and then asked hesitantly, "Wh-why...why do you -_erk-_ keep on c-closing your eyes wh-when I play? You look like you're falling asleep."

Craig shrugged, waving his other hand in a 'so-so' motion. Tweek's eyes widened in horror, and he started to twitch faster.

"Oh Jesus, do I actually put you to sleep? Is it that bad? Oh God, _it is,_ isn't it!"

The raven waited a couple of seconds to intervene, finally nudging the top of the other's head to make him be quiet for a second. "No."

Tweek looked up at him, waiting, and Craig sighed, his head leaning to one side as he answered slowly, "When you play...it's calm. And it makes me calm. Calm enough to go to sleep. Okay?"

"S-so...i-it's not bad?"

Craig shook his head, yawning as he sat up and stretched. They still had a couple of minutes before they had to leave for work, and the calm quiet of the empty school was too good to give up. He looked at his watch, leaning back into his chair. School had been particularly stressful today, and he didn't want to lose the tranquility Tweek's music had just given him.

The twittery blond prodded his side hesitantly, voice scared. "Craig? _Ngh..._we're g-gonna be late..."

"No we're not." Craig yawned again, but looked up to Tweek's worried face, which was looking up at the clock on the wall every second or so. He knew they still had time, but if he sat still any longer, Tweek would certainly spaz out and most likely break something. Not exactly the best room to do that in.

He sighed. "Alright, let's go."

Tweek looked ridiculously relieved, rushing to put away the cello and bow, and the raven stood up slowly, watching him carefully.

He really did love his playing, he hadn't lied. Every since he'd found out about Tweek's secret talent, he'd tried to find him a little sooner after school ended so they could squeeze in a few minutes of playing and listening. Tweek was happy to oblige and the orchestra teacher never seemed to mind, always beaming when she saw them.

It really was all in a class of its own. Tweek handled that instrument like he handled the coffeemakers back at his father's coffee shop, like a master. He coaxed the sweetest sounds from the wavering strings, made it sing like a bird or growl like a beast in a forest. Craig was entranced at the tiniest noise he made from it, and though he'd never been interested in classical music before, Tweek made it all sound so amazingly beautiful, so different from the boring things he heard over the internet or on CDs. He always felt at peace when he heard the blond play; he hadn't lied when he'd said it made him calm, and his eyelids always closed on him as the stress left his body, even when he tried his hardest to prevent it. The more he listened, the more relaxed he felt, and on particularly long songs he always felt like he couldn't move at the end, always freaking out poor little Tweekers when confronted with his seemingly 'lifeless' body.

And the way Tweek _looked_ when he played. He touched that bow and just as he seemed to work some magic upon the wood, the instrument seemed to work magic on _him_, changing him into a calm, twitchless, more confident version of himself, full of determination and fire. He was always so focused, so cool and smooth when he played, and Craig loved to watch the miracle of transformation for as long as he could before the playing sent him into his wonderful stupor. He'd never felt so good outside of this orchestra room.

It only made it worse when no one else realized what talent Tweek had stored in that little twitchy body. Tweek still didn't have any other friends. His parents still treated him like a retard, and even though he knew it was insane to think they would know just because he had found out, he still felt like going up to all of them and flipping them off, shaking them until they saw Tweek like he had come to see him. In a normal light. In a kinder light.

In the light of someone who now knew him and couldn't judge him, because he was just so damned amazing.

Tweek hurried to his side, struggling to put on his jacket, squeaking anxiously. "_Gah!_ I -I thought y-you were g-gonna leave me, if I -_ngh- _took too long!"

Craig rolled his eyes, shaking his head. Tweek had the strangest ideas sometimes. Why would he leave him behind like that? Seriously?

Tweek locked the room and they walked out of the building, into the empty courtyard of their school. Craig had the irresistible urge to yawn and he did, loud and long. He glanced over at Tweek, reaching over to pat his messy blond hair gently, as to not startle him. "I feel good today, 'cuz of you. Thanks."

Tweek started anyway, but he giggled shyly at the statement, looking down as he sipped his coffee in quick slurps. Craig thought he looked a little pink. He had to remember to tell him to get thicker jacket next time, so he wouldn't catch a cold or something.

"Y-you're welcome..."

Tweek looked up just in time to catch Craig's small smile, and he found himself smiling back. Craig never smiled around anyone except him.

The raven grinned wider, and patted his head some more.

* * *

Craig sighed, cleaning up the third spill of tonight's shift, all in less than an hour. He'd accidentally startled Tweek by coming up behind him, and the blond had shrieked, dropping not one, but two cups of coffee he'd prepared for a table. Of course, Tweek had apologized profusely, over and over again, on the verge of tears, until Craig finally succeeded in calming him down enough to convince him that he wasn't going to hit him or sell him into white slavery and that he should probably get to making another two cups while he cleaned up the spills.

Still, something confused him. Tweek had barely met his eyes the entire time, and if Craig were to look over now, he'd surely see Tweek staring at him. He paused, listening, then turned to his right, where the squeak of Tweek's twitching could be heard from the counter. And sure enough, blue eyes met brown and Tweek looked down hurriedly, busying himself with wiping down the counter.

He looked a tiny bit pink again, maybe even red. Craig wondered if he was getting a fever. He knew he should have told him to get a thicker jacket.

But back to the subject of Tweek's strange quirks of late. The coffee-addict seemed to be getting ever wary of him, and every time Craig approached him, he had the strangest look on his face, like a mixture of nervousness and caution. He was getting twitchier around him too. And not nearly as talkative. Okay, yeah, they didn't really exchange a lot of words to begin with, but this was different. And here Craig had thought that the blond was getting used to their friendship, that they really were friends.

It had been a couple of days since Tweek had last played for him, their longest pause yet, but that was because they'd both been too busy. And now Craig wondered if the stop in his outlet was having some adverse affect on Tweek. Maybe all that nervous stress was building up inside of him and he was just being Tweek as normal, and Craig just couldn't see it.

He decided to take things into his own hands. And when he finished cleaning up, he went to go find his boss, Tweek's asshole dad.

* * *

School had ended and Craig waited for Tweek by his usual wall again, sucking on the end of a cigarette. He was actually trying to quit, so it was unlit. He figured smoking was taking way too much money from his pocket, money that could be going into his savings for a place of his own. But he still needed to have something in his mouth, and an unlit cigarette made him feel better than just some stupid substitute.

Craig sighed as he scanned the people leaving, waiting patiently. Tweek was gonna be late on him. Again.

He scanned toward the left and suddenly made out Tweek's twittery form approaching him, and he waited patiently as he finally arrived, clutching anxiously onto that thermos of his.

"H-hi, Craig..." As he stowed the unused cig back in pocket, the raven noticed that the blond was still avoiding his direct gaze, keeping his eyes studiously upon the floor. And he was pink again. Jesus, this guy really needed to take care of himself. Craig decided to buy him that jacket himself, and make sure he wore it every day. "W-we got early -_ngh-_ shift today s-so..."

"I talked to your dad."

Tweek looked up at Craig's words, looking almost panicked. "M-my dad?" He squeaked. "F-for what?"

Craig shrugged. "Got us a vacation day."

"W-what? How?"

"Told him we worked every day, and we hadn't taken a day off yet, so we would take one tomorrow. Or, today." He paused. "He said okay."

"B-b-but..._ngh_, why?" Tweek looked positively terrified.

Craig reached out to pat him, and he was gratified to see that Tweek didn't wince or move away. Good, it looked like he wasn't mad or anything. Not that he'd ever seen Tweek mad, but you never know, especially with the twitchy ones. "Your music. You haven't played in a while...I figured you missed it. You can play as long as you want today."

Tweek's look melted, and he shuffled nervously, hesitantly, but he had a look of budding happiness. "...really? I...I can?"

The raven nodded and walked forward, beckoning the blond to follow. They made their way to the now very-familiar E building and stepped inside, Tweek shuddering as the heat soothed the cold from him. The door was open and so was the orchestra room, all empty and waiting for them. Tweek stepped inside nervously, but soon was rushing to lift the cello he always used from the rack, sitting down after he had retrieved the rosin and bow.

Craig sat down in a nearby chair facing him, the tiniest hint of a smile on his face as he watched Tweek prepare himself. The bow was set on the string, and Tweek glanced at his one-person audience. Craig beckoned him to continue. And Tweek did.

He started to play.

It started out in tiny notes, little short bars that paused and started, descending into a sweet, lilting melody that made him picture a rainy street and overcast day, stepping through puddles and watching people move around him. It was soft, wanting, but soon picked up after a minute, moving faster, faster, then softer, softer, and suddenly he was playing twenty notes in less than a second, upbeat and dancing, playing scales and scales lower and then stopping on a drawn out open string. It was only two minutes long. Craig stared at him, fascinated. Tweek beamed at him.

"V-violin Concerto in G minor..."

Craig chuckled, leaning back as Tweek put the bow to the string again.

He played and played again, loud songs, soft songs, fingers tracing loving lines on the neck as he sounded out his notes and spun out his webs of music, drawing Craig in until he was weaving to the sounds, eyes fluttering and smiling lazily as he watched Tweek move and slur notes, eyes focused. It was a river of music, a cascade of beautiful noise, and Craig felt himself slipping as he played longer, louder, and suddenly he was half-dreaming in colors and vivid hues as Tweek's cello became a background to his thoughts.

He let himself go and he was taken on a slow-moving river as Tweek played something that almost remind him of the Lion King, the music both slow and powerful, a wish, a thought, rising higher and higher into a yellow sky of unbroken angel's wings, painting the world in notes and music. He wondered how Tweek could play all this without any guidance, could produce such wondrous sounds without any sheet music or something like that. It was just another way that Tweek was amazing.

He wished he could have become friends with him sooner.

Tweek stopped, and Craig stirred sleepily, then the blonde started again, this time playing something that sounded awfully familiar, and when Craig recognized it, he wanted to laugh. It was that one thing movies always played when horses were racing or something, or there was gonna be some battle or something of the like. Tweek played it excellent, as usual, and Craig was beset by visions of armies facing off in glorious armor, dashing forward and clashing in a melodious mix of steel and ringing iron. He could almost hear drums and trumpets, booms and horns blaring behind everything and Tweek played ever higher and faster, the star, the virtuoso, more powerful as he reached the crescendo, and the armies cried out as one, everything stopped for the merest second, then exploded into a resounding, high fireworks of rushing sounds and music and suddenly everything was black.

It was over.

_Ahhh..._Craig felt again that calmness, and he couldn't even think of moving. How long had they been here? Phht, hell if he cared...He vaguely noticed that he was sprawled back in his chair, legs stretched out in front of him and head tilted lightly to his right, arms on the tops of the chairs next to him. He felt very comfortable. If only there was a way to bottle up Tweek's magical playing and sell it as medicine...he didn't think there'd be a single illness left in the world. It was a wild, randomly stupid thought, but he let it go. It was the usual when he was like this. Only Tweek could make him like this. Only Tweek.

And speaking of Tweek, he heard a shy, shuffling approach. Craig could picture him sitting down, and he felt the chair on his right move as the blond did, he waited for Tweek to call out his name anxiously, in that scared little voice he used when he thought Craig was in a coma or something. But he didn't.

Tweek shuffled and twitched and Craig heard him do so, but he couldn't find it in himself to move or make any sign that he was awake. He felt so good here...Finally Tweek called out to him.

"...Craig?"

He didn't sound scared, or panicked, but in fact just a bit nervous, and Craig wondered why.

"C-Craig? Are you -_ngh-_ a-awake?" Tweek's fingers gently landed on his shoulder, and the raven wanted to respond to their warmth but still couldn't. So he just lay there, and sighed deliciously on the inside as he relaxed, still remembering the wondrous sounds of forty seconds ago.

Tweek didn't panic, at all, and Craig wondered what was going through his mind, when a shadow fell over his face; he could see it through his eyelids as Tweek bent over him, and he could smell the blond's sweet, sugary, coffee-laced breath. And when he felt something touch his lips gently, like the slightest pressure of a flower petal, he understood.

_Oh._

Tweek drew back and found Craig's eyes open, staring lazily at him, still slightly glazed. The coffee-addict froze in horror, and the raven found it in himself to speak.

"Tweek...do you like me?"

The blond suddenly flung himself away from the raven, landing on his butt on the carpeted ground as he dragged himself back, stuttering incomprehensible apologies and tearful pleads for Craig not to hit him, tangling his hands viciously in his hair as he babbled on, watery eyes overflowing with tears.

"_Nghh, _I'm s-sorry, -_ngh- _please, d-don't hit me, I-I-I'm sorry, I th-thought you -_augh-_ w-were asleep b-but _gah!_ No! N-not that -_mehh- _I-I would d-do that to you i-i-in your -_gah!_ S-sleep, but I'm sorry -_ngh-_ I-I'm sorry, please d-don't hit me, I w-w-won't -_augh!_ Do it a-again, I p-promise, please C-Craig, I'm -_ngh-_ s-s-sorry!"

The calm was still there, but Craig yawned and sat up, unconsciously flipping off the blond. Which was the wrong thing to do. The blond shrieked in pure terror, now bawling outright as he threw himself on his hands and knees, tugging his hair as his forehead smacked down on the ground, begging forgiveness.

"N-no, no, n-no, I-I-I'm sorry, Cr-_augh!_ Craig, p-please, don't h-hate me, d-don't hate me, -_ngh-_ p-p-please, don't l-leave me, I-I'm sorry, -_gah-_ I'm sorry, I'm s-sorry..."

Craig didn't know what to make of all this. All of a sudden, Tweek's behavior was making sense. He'd developed a crush on Craig, so he was even more nervous than normal, especially around him. And without the music, it had almost seemed like he was avoiding him. And that damned pink flush. It was _blush_, not a stupid fever. Craig felt like an obtuse idiot. He'd certainly been blind.

And now Tweek had kissed him.

In all truth, he didn't know what to make of it. It wasn't like it was _bad_, and it wasn't like he _hated_ it, but he was straight! Well, he didn't really know, he hadn't dated a girl in _years_, so who knew? Maybe he was attracted to guys. It would explain why he wasn't so shocked, or even disgusted in the least. Or that could just be Tweek's calm.

He didn't know what to do with any of this, but as soon as he heard those words come from Tweek's mouth, he felt bad.

'_d-don't hate me...don't l-leave me..._'

Jesus, did Tweek really think he was going to hate him? Or leave him? For kissing him? Oh come on...Craig felt his stomach twist in knots as he watched Tweek's pain on the floor, and he sighed. Great way to thank him for the music...

He slid down from the chair, crawling to where Tweek was and kneeling in front of him, tugging him up. He slid his hands over Tweek's.

"Come on...what have I told you about the hair?"

Tweek sniffled and sniveled, still crying as Craig untangled his hands, smoothing out his hair, and the raven watched him cry for a moment, looking down at Tweek's pouting, wet lips. He moved Tweek's face up, leaning forward and pressing his lips to the blond's, tasting the salt of his tears. Tweek froze again, and Craig drew back, eyebrows furrowed.

"Was it bad?"

Tweek didn't do or say anything, so Craig shrugged inwardly and kissed him again, and this time Tweek responded meekly, as if still in shock that this was real. The third time Craig kissed him, Tweek seemed to believe it more, and he hesitantly gripped the fabric of Craig's jacket, mouth moving in time to his. The raven wanted to laugh. This wasn't bad at all. He rather liked it. He pulled back, gazing down at Tweek expectantly.

"So, you like me?"

The blond blushed pink again, and he stuttered out some pathetic beginning to an excuse before stopping and finally muttering a shy, quick, "Y-yes."

He'd stopped playing his cello, and he had turned to Craig, ready to thank him for giving him a chance to play as long as he wanted to, but Craig had been seemingly asleep. Tweek hadn't been surprised, but he'd been nervous as he approached him. He'd started to have strange feelings toward him for a while now, ever since Craig had first seen him play, and he hadn't known what to do. He'd wanted to touch him, to hold him and feel him hold back, but not as a friend, as more than a friend. But that wasn't normal, and he already was more abnormal than everyone in South Park put together. Tweek soon came to terms with the fact that he liked him but he couldn't let Craig know. It was already a miracle that Craig liked to be his friend, he didn't want to ruin this gift he had.

But as he'd stared down at Craig's sleeping frame, lips slightly parted on his tilted head, he found himself wanting to touch those half-full lips, that smooth face and black, black hair. He'd called out to him and Craig hadn't given a single response. He really was asleep. So Tweek could take his chance, right? He'd wanted to. He'd really, really wanted to. And it would only be a little quick kiss. Nothing too bad. Craig would never know about it.

And he'd done it. He'd kissed him.

And now Craig had kissed him back.

Craig looked down satisfactorily at the messy head of blond, smiling lightly. "Good. 'Cuz I think I like you too."

Tweek looked up at him nervously, then at the cello, lying innocently on its side. "R-really? You're...you're n-not just -_ngh-_ saying that because y-you like me...p-playing for you?"

Craig frowned at him. "No. Why would I do that? I like you for you." He petted Tweek's hair lightly. "Okay?"

Tweek looked down shyly. "S-so...d-does this mean you'll -_mnhh-_ b-be my b-boyfriend?"

The raven hugged him carefully, a little hesitant to squeeze him all the way. Tweek was delicate, and besides, he was new to this guy-love thing. But he kissed him again on the lips, then kissed the tracks of tears that had stained his cheeks. "Yeah."

Tweek gave him a quavery smile, and Craig gave him one back. They really only smiled around each other, now that he thought about it. His grip tightened as their lips met once more, and Tweek wrapped slender arms around his shoulders.

Yeah, somewhere up there, the music god was smiling.

* * *

**A/N:** The songs I had in mind after the Violin Concierto are Nimrod (the mention to Lion King) and then William Tell's Overture (the army thing). So yah, there ya go.


End file.
